Northwest Airlines to cut 2,500 jobs
 

AP
Northwest Airlines to cut 2,500 jobs
Wednesday July 9, 1:58 pm ET Northwest Airlines cutting 2,500 jobs, will charge for first checked bag
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Northwest Airlines Corp. is the latest airline to cut jobs because of high oil prices.
The carrier said Wednesday it will eliminate 2,500 management and front-line jobs. It previously announced that it would shrink the amount of flying it does by roughly 9 percent later this year.

President and CEO Doug Steenland blames the cuts on fuel costs that have more than doubled in the past year.
Northwest says it will offer voluntary departures. It says furloughs will be used only if it does not get enough volunteers to reach the 2,500 number.

Northwest also says it will begin charging $15 for the first checked bag, matching a fee added by other carriers this year. And the airline says it will begin charging a fee for frequent-flier award tickets -- from $25 for domestic tickets to $100 for flights to Asia.
A spokeswoman for Delta Air Lines Inc., which is buying Northwest, said record high fuel costs are causing the Atlanta-based carrier to look at everything. "However, we have made no changes to the service we offer to customers for a complimentary first checked bag," spokeswoman Betsy Talton said.
At American Airlines, the first major U.S. carrier to announce a fee on first checked bags, spokesman Tim Smith declined to comment directly on Northwest's moves, "but their actions clearly show they are facing the same extreme challenges all airlines are dealing with these days."

Executives of American parent AMR Corp. said last week they expect to cut 8 percent of the work force, or about 6,800 jobs.
Continental Airlines Inc., which has announced 3,000 job cuts but doesn't charge for checking a first bag, declined to comment on Northwest's actions.
Northwest Airlines to cut 2,500 jobs: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

We saw this coming!

I was under the assumption that all this merger talk and TA's were sold to the DAL/NWA pilot groups with the assurance that furloughs wouldn't result, something I never quite grasped. Someone correct me, please. I know I'm oversimplifying. Or would the combined entity result in LESS projected job loss? Either way, hang on tight.

Looks like you guys will be needing larger overhead bins!....

Retarded bag policies!

I wonder if this cut includes Mesaba and Compass since they own them and all. I know that Compass has the whole flowback thingy...God knows where that leaves Pinnacle.

Thats doesnt include pilot jobs. Merging companies ='s double mgmt positions. DAL already let over 4000 people go this is the same thing they are trimming for the merger. most if not all will be voluntary.

My question is once DAL/NWA are integrated including the seniority lists,(assuming DAL does not furlough), will any NWA guys still on furlough (hopefully none) with seniority above DAL pilots be "flip-flopped" back to work with the less senior DAL pilot furloughed? Intersting thing for the union to work out. As far as the "no furlough clause" in the newer agreements, I know that LOA 19 (DAL approved) contained a no furlough clause but I'm not sure if the joint agreement had one. Anyway, I think they only apply after the merger is approved by the DOJ. So maybe the companies can shed jobs before then with no penalty.

Very good....that makes a lot of since...they must think they have the merger in the bag if they already trimming the fat

The joint agreement has the same agreement and the NWA side has an LOA with mgmt that states no furloughs because of the cutbacks. The LOA also established a number of early out programs for senior pilots. Also if NWA pilots leave before the merger they get grandfathered under the NWA medical coverage in retirement instead of the much more expensive DAL coverage.

The merger is a done deal and mgmt knows it. We have DAL people in the NWA bases and vice verse called "integration teams". Things are well underway with integration.

If you read the internal company postings, this isn't just about double management positions linked to the merger. All positions will be affected by the reduction, including pilots and flight attendants. If there aren't enough pilots who volunteer for PERP, or the SLIP and PML programs, the furloughs will come. The LOA regarding the voluntary leaves only states that those programs are options attempting to avoid the need to furlough, not a guarantee of no furloughs.